Category: Books

I didn’t really want to finish this book because this is the end of Calla’s part of the Creepy Hollow series. At the same time I couldn’t stop reading it. The ending was so dramatic in the previous book that I desperately needed to know what was going to happen.Calla is working on a plan to break Chase out of his mother’s childhood home. Meanwhile the Guild still thinks she and Lord Draven are evil and need to be stopped. Her family is under scrutiny and things just seem to be going from bad to worse.Rachel Morgan did not hold back at all on this novel. I cried so much because how is it possible that one girl could have such bad luck?I found the ending a bit incomplete but I’m betting it’s just going to make the next part of the Creepy Hollow series even more intriguing. This book was romantic and sad, heartbreaking and well-written. I loved seeing Violet and Ryn as more fleshed-out characters and I can’t wait to see what else happens in this world. Creepy Hollow is a great series but as time goes on the Creepy Hollow world seems to get darker and darker which makes for a highly enjoyable read.

After finding out the truth about the intriguing and mysterious Chase, Calla is determined to forget all about him. She throws herself into her Guardian training. However it’s difficult to forget Chase when he is mentioned in most of her textbooks, he’s a vital part of Creepy Hollow history AND he keeps showing up everywhere. Then, Calla is accused of spreading a disease that rapidly kills the faeries. Left with no other place or person where she can remain safe, Calla is forced to rely on Chase.
I thought this book was far darker than others in the series but I absolutely loved it. For me, the Guild has always represented a place of justice and hope but that changes in this book.
I especially enjoyed seeing Chase again. Unfortunately this book has an ending that left me craving more which proves my theory that Rachel Morgan’s books should probably all be binge-read instead of read one at a time.
This was an excellent read that I highly recommend to fans of fae, fantasy or “A Court of Thorns and Roses”.
This book is a relatively quality read that is interesting with characters that are real and funny.

I have no words to describe my feelings for this book. If I could give it six stars I would!Calla has longed to be a Guardian and her wishes finally come true. But things aren’t as great as she thought they would be. Her mentor and classmates seem to hate her, someone is trying to kill her and she gets tangled up with a mysterious artifact that gives her yet another Griffin Ability- an ability beyond normal fae.In the midst of all this, Calla meets Chase. I love how Chase was a million times more better than Nate and I couldn’t stop thinking that throughout the book.If you’ve read the first part of the series you know that Nate was Vi’s first love but turned out to be a jerk.Chase seems like a totally great guy and I really hoped that he wouldn’t end up like Nate did.Speaking of endings, this ending blew my mind and broke my heart.I loved the first part of the Creepy Hollow series but Calla’s story is just “WOW!”

As fun and amazing as reviewing the Durban International Film Festival has been, I’m really looking forward to returning to my regular reviews (I promise to post reviews of my DIFF 2016 movies soon). I’m especially excited since my birthday is on July 1st and I’m planning a big book splurge. After all it isn’t everyday that you turn 21. Here are the books I’m most excited to read for my winter vacation:

LOCAL IS LEKKER

Like I said above, I’m planning a huge birthday book splurge. However some of my favourite local authors have made my splurge plans super-easy by giving me ARCs. The local books I’m excited to read are:

1) “A Faerie’s Revenge” and “A Faerie’s Curse” by Rachel Morgan: I love the Creepy Hollow world and the first book in this part of the series (“A Faerie’s Secret”) had a heartbreaking cliffhanger. I literally couldn’t sleep after reading it and I’m dying to find out how it ends.

2) “Refuse” by Joanne Macgregor: The first book in this series, “Recoil” also ended on a cliffhanger so I’m eager to see this. I also love the main guy in this book. He’s Irish. Which I’ve mentioned before but whatever. I love the Irish. That accent *swoon*

3) Guardians of Summerfield series by Melissa Delport: I love love love the world-building in this series and the boxset was recently discounted on Amazon. I know Melissa had her reasons for discounting the boxset but I really feel like she did it for me. Obviously the book universe approves of my birthday book plans. Needless to say this is my birthday present to myself.

Work in Progress (AKA Books I Started Reading and Abandoned for Exams)
1) The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead: I was enjoying this book until I read a negative review which put me off this book completely. I’d love to finish reading it.

2) The Winner’s Curse by Maria Rutkoski: This was another book that I was really enjoying. I’m not too fond of the main characters though who obviously have an attraction between them but don’t seem to do anything about it.

3) Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins: I have no idea why I haven’t finished this book when I loved this series so much. Stephanie Perkins writes such amazing character. Etienne St Clair is boyfriend goals (and I say that despite my hate for using the term “goals”).

Leslie Welch is the author behind “The Goodbyes”, a novel that is equally heartwarming and heart-wrenching. I caught up with her to find out more about the beautifully moving book.

1) Tell us a bit more about yourself

I’m the person at the grocery store who holds up the checkout line because the cashier is telling me her life story. I’m only half-joking. I’m a listener, a connector, and an intense observer of life. But I’m also a textbook Leo: a little wild, dramatic, and a natural leader. It’s probably a strange combination for an author, but it works for me. I love being on the water–especially in a sailboat. I’m a huge foodie. And I’ll drink coffee until my jaw clenches from caffeine intoxication.

2) How did you come up with the idea for “The Goodbyes”?

I was driving to my childhood home in Pittsburgh. If you don’t live where you grew up, going home can be a surreal experience, at least it is for me. A lot of people that I grew up with still live in the area. Anytime I go back, I end up seeing someone from high school. Sometimes it’s amazing, and other times? Not so much.

It’s a four hour drive from D.C. to my mom’s house. After the first two hours of the drive, I started to get lonely and bored, so I decided to do some creative exercises. I started daydreaming that I was a rock star going home. I made the fantasy a little more interesting. I was going home to see the guy who inspired all my songs. And then, I brought in the big conflict–he was dying. I couldn’t wait to start writing! I decided to write the story from a male perspective to challenge myself.

3) What sort of research did you do while writing “The Goodbyes”?

Some of the situations in the book are inspired by real-life events. Before I wanted to be a writer, I wanted to be a musician. I even dropped out of college for a semester to focus on music.

I’m lucky to know people who do really cool things. I interviewed my friends who have toured with their bands. I went backstage at big shows. I sat in on recording sessions.

I also did a lot of research on celebrated musicians; I watched interviews and read memoirs. And, although I’ve been to Glen Hope and the surrounding coal towns, I spent a lot of time on Google Maps “driving” my little yellow Google guy around.

4) What was the best part of writing “The Goodbyes”? Was there a specific scene or an aspect of writing the book that was particularly memorable?

I loved writing the ending. The original ending was good, but, as Charlotte would say, it didn’t “make my scalp shiver.” The night before I was supposed to turn the manuscript over to my editor, I had a last-minute bolt of inspiration. I stayed up all night rewriting the ending. It’s my favorite part of the book now. I can’t imagine Webb’s story ending any other way.

5) Is there anything about the writing life that you think is misunderstood by the public?

I used to imagine that when writers typed “the end” they were done. In reality, that’s only the beginning. Pristine prose doesn’t flow out of our fingers on the first try. It takes a lot of work to get it right after the first draft.

Writing is a partnership between creators and editors. Most writers are not masters of the English language. We struggle with punctuation (seriously, let’s not talk about my comma issues). We get to take credit in the byline, but we don’t create the magic alone.

6) What sort of books do you usually read?

Right now, collections of short stories are filling up my Kindle. I try to read a lot of different genres. For a while, I was obsessed with biographies about actresses from the golden age of Hollywood. I love Young Adult novels. There’s something comforting about tapping into a time of life that seems full of possibilities–where you’re not assaulted by the mundane details of adulthood like interviewing contractors to replace your roof.

7) Do you have any advice to give to aspiring writers?

I can’t take credit for this wisdom, but here’s some of the best advice I’ve collected over the years:

• Don’t edit until the first draft is done. Make notes if you must. The first draft is supposed to be a disaster. If you get bogged down chasing perfection, you won’t finish. Embrace the mess–fix it later.

• If you’re writing for insta-fame, you’re doing it wrong.

• Write something you want to read. If you think it’s too weird for the world, you’re doing it right.

• Eliminate passive voice with a vengeance. Search your document for the verb “to be” in all forms. Analyze each sentence and rewrite as many as you can.

• Read your dialogue out loud.

• Reject the rejection, but consider the criticism. If someone’s telling you there are issues with your story, take a step back and try to see it from their perspective.

• Throw in a 180 degree twist if you don’t know where else to go.

8) The characters in “The Goodbyes” are very real and flawed. Personally I’d love to see more of them. Do you have any plans for a sequel?

(*blushes) I’ve been thinking about writing Charlotte’s story. She’s my favorite character in this book and was so much fun to write. One piece of trivia: TempFive makes a cameo in my next book.

9) What can we expect from you in the future?

I have four books in different stages of chaos. Currently, I’m rewriting my first novel–a YA Urban Fantasy that I wrote with my best friend. The working title is Tandem.

It’s the story of a rebellious auto heiress who discovers she’s half extra-dimensional. When she starts her junior year of high school, her family declares bankruptcy and the guy she loves becomes a monk—literally. On top of that, she has to worry about trying not to blow things up with her emerging powers and it’s really getting in the way of her social life. We’re aiming for a late 2017 release.

As soon as the final draft of Tandem is in the hands of our editor, I’ll tackle another Women’s Fiction project that I started a few months ago about a Congressional staffer who quits her job and leaves her boyfriend of four years (because he can’t commit). I’m really excited to see where her story goes.

The first time I ever got a book hangover, I was 13 and the book was “Breaking Dawn”. I was young so I had no idea why I missed the book so much and my feelings made no sense to me (or anyone else). Now I’ve gained more book-hangover-experience and can deal with it (sort of). Here are my tips for dealing with a book hangover:

1) Have a back-up book(s): Always have a book or books that you want to read once you’re done with your current read. This way you can easily jump into another book-world instead of sitting around and moping when your book is finished.

2) Binge-read an entire series: For me I find a sure way to NOT suffer a book hangover is to read an entire series. This is especially helpful if you’re reading work by an author who is known for giving her readers hangovers.

3) Write about it: Writing about your feelings on the book may help you feel better. I usually go on a Twitter or Facebook rant about my latest read and my friends and followers have accepted this small bit of strangeness.

4) Check the internet and social media for fan-art and fanfiction: This is great if you’re reading a really popular book or series. Tumblr is great for fan-art and other genius pieces of work by fans.

How do you get over a book hangover? What was the last book that gave you a hangover?

This book really was like a fairytale. I adored it! There’s romance, mystery and if it were a Disney movie there would be more than a few catchy songs. This book is dream for anyone who enjoys fairytales. There’s a curse, there’s references to Disney movies (um, have you SEEN the quote from Frozen? Love is an open door?)
I was incredibly sad when this book ended as the characters were so colourful and creative. This book is interesting, well-written, gripping and funny. This would also make for a great series.

Still reeling from the horrific deeds of book one, I was glad to return to this world (what? You thought I was going to talk about Feyre? No. I’m scarred for life from what she did to save Tamlin. And apparently so is she).
Feyre is suffering the after-effects of the horrors she has faced to save Tamlin. This ruins what should be her happy ending. After all she and Tamlin can now be together for eternity. But before that happens, Feyre has to face her demons. And deal with Rhysand and the bargain she has made with him.
I think that the tone of this book was much different from the first one but I really did enjoy it even more. My only problem was with the ending. While it isn’t exactly a cliffhanger ending, it is an ending that leaves the reader waiting more. This book took me too long to finish so eventually I woke up at 3AM one morning just to see how it ended. And then I said some very bad words. So be warned- this book is great, it has the darkness we know and love, it has romance but it also is very long with an ending that will definitely make you long for the next book.

Sometimes a book that has been talked about isn’t that great. It’s just a book with a huge marketing budget. But sometimes a book really does live up to it’s hype. Some of those really popular books that I’ve enjoyed are listed below.

1) The Wrath and The Dawn series by Renée Ahdieh- Great writing, a strong female protagonist and incredibly world-building are just some of the aspects of this series. There’s a beautiful romance as well as fairytales that I adored.

2) A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas- A fae retelling of Beauty and The Beast, I was gripped by this book (and it’s sequel). I’m so thrilled with this book that I now spend my days searching the web to find people currently reading the series so that I may cheer them on with over-enthusiastic comments about how amazing this book is. Like The Wrath and The Dawn series, this has a strong female lead with excellent world-building. Unlike The Wrath and The Dawn, this is a much darker story but I loved every second of it.

3) A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas- If you read A Court of Thorns and Roses, this is what it’ll be like on steroids. A Court of Mist and Fury is unbelievably better. I don’t know how that’s possible because the first book was my everything but this one just blows my mind. It’s darker and more intense with surprises at every turn.

4) The List by Siobhan Vivian- another book that I’m obsessed with is The List. Every year a list is released of the prettiest and ugliest girls in the school. Their reactions are recorded in this book. As a girl who had something like this done (in primary school!!!), this novel is especially close to my heart.

5) Firsts by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn- Mercedes has an unusual after-school hobby. She helps young males learn how to give their girlfriends a perfect “first time”. Mercedes sees this as a favour to the other girls because she wants them to have the special experience she never did. This book was mysterious and thrilling (I cannot say more on that) and I enjoyed it immensely.

Have you read any of these books? What did you think? Do you think there’s a book or series that I missed out? I’d love to know (I’m soo behind on my book news). Feel free to leave a comment below.